Scatterdays

I might regret this decision but I signed up to play Scatterdays with Cinzia and friends, I hope they are not all as challenging as this week!

This week is brought to you by the letter W and the categories are expensive,music,excting and WIP.

Expensive

 

These are some of my Wedgewood pieces



Music

 

This is the musical We Will Rock You which I saw in London in 2007

Exciting

Wild Oats after they had won the 2012 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race


WIP

This stack of containers hold my current works in progress , the bottom two hold my Dear Jane fabric then the next two are birthday presents one of which needs to be finished by the end of January.The top container is for the modern quilt I have just designed on EQ7 and I would like  to start it now but must do the gift ones first.

Monday Patchwork


Every Monday throughout the year a group of us gather to sew,chat,de-stress and generally exchange ideas, we take turns cooking which gives a wide variety of food. This Monday was my turn and I made Pennie Griffith's Italian Loaf, it is popular with my friends and some husbands and this week was no exception- thanks Pennie for your generosity in sharing your recipes.

 

For dessert I made a Nigella Lawson take on trifle and it was delicious although I was a little heavy handed with the alcohol .

 

Slice a purchased Madiera cake(stale is better) and spread  out on plate then sprinkle about a third of a cup of Coitreau over cake, then add small amount of orange marmalade. Zest an orange and set zest aside; juice orange and pour over cake.Whip a small carton of cream and spread over the sodden cake then top with blackberries and the orange zest.

You can also add some grated chocolate if you want but I didn't and I don't think it needed it.

Sorry I didn't take a photo of this and it was gone in a flash!!!!

Some finished Projects

 I have finished three smaller projects over the weekend

This a flannel quilt made from scraps and very practical on the cooler evenings when it's not cold enough for the heating to be turned on.

 

 

This wall hanging is a design by Leesa Chandler called Celtic Chrismas Knot.

www.chandlerscottage.com

 

This wall hanging is a design from Just Patchwork and I used some of my collection of aboriginal prints.

 

www.justpatchwork.com

After my last post and my trip down memory lane I thought I would post this picture of my 6th birthday party at our flat in Neutral Bay and  even remember everyone's name so with me at the head of the table and from my left.

Niki Kartzoff
Judy Dulhunty ( lives in California somewhere!)
Wendy Jones ( a neighbourhood friend)
Helen Eager ( a family friend- her brother useed to be the weatherman on ABC TV)
Tamara Kartzoff and my sister Louise McDougall (the young ones at the end of the table)
Tony Pearson (he lived upstairs)
Vivien Larkin (lived next door)
Vivienne Arnott ( yes  from that family her grandfather was Arnott's biscuits! and the last time I saw her was my 21st birthday)
Trish Dulhunty (after whom my daughter was named!!!)

Yesterday I heard some sad news that plunged me into memories of my childhood, Nicholas "Niki" Kartzoff had passed away in May.His parents,and his Aunts and extended family and my family were good friends and I have many happy memories of our association.Every Christmas Eve we went to their place for a special tea for the children and then every Easter was special because Michael (Niki's father) was Russian and he (and then he tried teaching us as young children) would  paint  eggs(hard boiled).
All my life every Easter I remember Michael very clearly and the painted eggs and although I am addicted to chocolate I still remember those eggs that he painted.
Niki and his sister Tamara were a big part of my early life and my mother had a story which I will not reveal here (sorry but it's not good!!) but when their parents separated before mine our lives were separated also.
 I did however stay friends forever with Anne Maria who is their cousin and for many years in my childhood I had holidays with her,Kay and Jim to many places in NSW,QLD and Vic.

This photo was taken at Taronga Zoo in September 1951 and I have to thank my father as a photo jounalist and his documentation for the date and place.On the left is my mother and myself, then Rona Kartzoff and Michael  with Niki.

 

 

This next photo was taken at in December 1951 and is Michael and Niki Kartzoff and me , I think at Bradley's Head(a favourite picnic place!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then some years ago whilst my mother was still alive we connected with Tamara who had married a Bathurst man,Mum, my sister Louise and I met with her and chatted  but we have again lost touch and it was only by accident last night that I found out that Niki had died.It made me feel quite sad but I supppose as you get older that is normal.

 

A letter to The Governor around 1809

My great,great,great,great grandfather who came to Australia as a free settler under the stewardship of Sir Joseph Banks on the ship Barwell in 1798,he was granted land at Baulkam Hills north west of Sydney town. This letter was written by him to Governor Bligh in 1809 and is an exercise in grovelling.The original is held in the Bligh Papers in the Mitchell Library in Sydney.

Starting and finishing projects

Over the last few weeks I have finished a couple of projects and started others so really my UFO stack has not been reduced! This small log cabin design I started when I lived in my old home so therefore before 2004 I had started quilting it using my treadle machine and for some reason I unpicked the quilting. This next quilt is really a tablecloth but I'm not sure yet I bought the fabric sqaures many years ago because some they reminded me of dresses Mum used to wear in the 50's. I made this small bag to hold my tablet and I'm quite pleased with it, the handles were hard to source and a little expensive . These next two are from precuts that I had for years, a jelly roll and a layer cake both designs came from Missouri Star tutorials on utube and were quick and easy now to join the list of UFO's waiting to be quilted.

Vandals

A couple of months ago I posted some photos I had taken at the Begonia House and The Fernery in Machattie Park, Bathurst. About 2 weeks ago some vandals smashed some windows in the Begonia House and now over the last weekend the local vandals smashed their way into the Fernery and did considerable damage. Needless to say these facilities are again closed to the Public whilst they are repaired, it makes me so angry.

I have been busy this week sewing,raking leaves and even some housework, yes I do occasionally do some! I decided to move all my small ornamental sewing machines down from a shelf in the spare bedroom to this bookcase.I don't think I have dusted these for over 12 months! There is one antique amongst them but all the others are ornaments/toys that I have been given over many years, some are also music boxes and have animation.

For the last week I have been baby sitting my Grand-dog; Beau is a 10 week old pup that Tim and Tamara have adopted but because this overlapped with their new home he has had a week in cold old Bathurst!Macy,Murphy and Millie have slowly warmed to him over the last few days but they still might need some Prozac or something next week so they can calm down!!! Today I was working in the garage cleaning things out and he decided that Millie's little red bed would suit him fine, didn't matter that he was way too big he just folded up his legs,looked Millie in the eye and said get over it!!! I have renamd him bono becaue all I seem to say to him is BO-NO and usually he does stop whatever he is doing until tonight;he had got oout one of my Monet books from the bookcase and when I found him he was well into it, I just hope he learned how to paint(or garden) whilst chewing the book. Here is Beau in Millie's bed today with her looking a bit peeved!!

The Begonia House

Yesterday I went for a walk to Machattie Park an old Victorian Park in the centre of Bathurst to see the Begonias flowering.Machattie Park was built on the site of the old Bathurst Gaol and was opened in December 1890.

Then I went to the Fernery (next to the Begonia House) which is also very historically important.

Wall Hanging

I have made this wall hanging for myself from a pattern by Joined at the Hip.

Even though it's really for Halloween I think I'll hang it in my hallway all the time.

Agapanthus

A few years ago Bathurst Regional Council beautified the streets in the CBD and every summer we get this display of agapanthus.

Orca Bay

I am doing Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery quilt called Orca Bay but I have chosen my own colours.So far I am only on step one as I have had visitors and haven't done any sewing for over a week.I can recommend her designs this is the fourth mystery quilt of hers I have done.

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

Another quilt finished

I have finished this I spy quilt for Hudson Riley and he will probably receive it over the next few days as I know it has arrived in Adelaide where is is currently staying.The back is a map of the world (current in 2010, the year of his birth) which his grandfather purchased in Dallas, Tx.